Present code division multiple access (CDMA) systems are characterized by simultaneous transmission of different data signals over a common channel by assigning each signal a unique code. This unique code is matched with a code of a selected receiver to determine the proper recipient of a data signal. Base stations in adjacent cells or transmit areas also have a unique pseudorandom noise (PN) code associated with transmitted data. This PN code is typically generated by a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR), also known as a Linear Sequence Shift Register, and enables mobile stations within the cell to distinguish between intended signals and interference signals from other base stations. Identification of a PN code requires the mobile station to correctly identify an arbitrary part of the received PN sequence. The identification is frequently accomplished by a sliding window comparison of a locally generated PN sequence with the received part of the PN sequence. The sliding window algorithm often requires the mobile station to efficiently calculate multiple offsets from the LFSR to match the received sequence.
In another application of an LFSR (FIG. 1), the mobile unit typically generates a PN sequence by a combination of one or more LFSRs 100, 122 as in FIG. 1. This PN sequence is used for quadrature phase shift keyed (QPSK) reverse link transmission. This transmission requires that the PN sequence be arbitrarily shifted by the number of chips equivalent to 250 microseconds for transmitting the in-phase component and the quadrature component. This arbitrary shift may vary with data rate.
Another application of an arbitrary offset LFSR arises for spreading and despreading transmitted signals as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,054 by Timothy I. Rueth and incorporated herein by reference. Rueth discloses an advantage of modulating each data bit at a constant chip rate for various transmit data rates. For example, a constant chip rate produces 128 chips for each bit at 9600 bits per second and 256 chips for each bit at 4800 bits per second. Thus, the chip rate may remain constant while the transmitted data rate may vary in response to rate information from a base station. Rueth further teaches that synchronization of base and mobile stations is simplified by inserting a zero in the PN sequence, thereby increasing the number of states from 2.sup.N -1 to 2.sup.N. Synchronization is further simplified by including an arbitrary offset circuit for the LFSR. Rueth teaches a mask circuit 30 in combination with an N-bit LFSR 10 (FIG. 2) for producing a PN offset with respect to the LFSR state. The mask circuit 30 produces the desired offset in response to a mask signal MASK on bus 32. Rueth gives a specific example of a particular mask signal for a 10-chip offset for an exemplary 4-bit LFSR (col. 7, lines 37-40). Rueth, however, fails to teach or suggest how the mask signal is generated for this specific case or how the mask signal might be generated for an LFSR of arbitrary length. Rueth states that "it would be simplest to implement if the paired values of OFFSET and MASK were pre-computed and stored in a Read Only memory (ROM) not shown." (col. 8, lines 63-66). For a 15-bit LFSR, however, this would require 2.sup.N -2 (32,722) 15-bit masks. A particular problem with generation of this mask signal, therefore, is the need for a simple circuit to generate states with an arbitrary offset from an LFSR state. Other problems include the practical memory limitation of mobile handsets, calculation complexity of offset determination and speed and power requirements to generate the offset.